
%\addcontentsline{toc}{chapter}{AGRADECIMENTOS}

\chapter*{ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS}


I would like to give my deep and sincere {\sc Thank You} to...

\begin{itemize}
\item My parents Bernardete and Sóstenes, for the education they
provided me with and for the continuous support in all aspects of my life. My
brother Lauro, who lives miles away from us but always gives his
constructive opinions and encourages me to learn different computer tools.
\item Vicente, who is very special for me, for the kind support and
comprehension.
\item My big family, which makes me feel happy: vovó Lourdes, vovô Luiz, vovó
Myriam, vovô Lauro, Nadja, Niedja, Júnior, tia Adelaide, tia Ló, tia Dulce,
tia Eneida, Vanessa, Lula, Pedrinho, Arthur, Fernandinha, Mari, Adriana, Joana
and João.
\item My friends Sofia, Juju, Ayana, Felipe and Yuri, for the enjoyable moments
we passed together.
\item Professor Enrique López, for the oportunity of being part of {\sc CEERMA},
for the attention, dedication and motivational words in the most critical phases
of the research.
\item Professor Leandro Chaves and Professor Paulo Frutuoso, for the valuable
comments, which enhanced the quality of the work.
\item Márcio, for the worthy discussions about the
dissertation topics and also for the detailed reviews of the document. Paulo,
for helping me with statistical concepts. Thiago, Evandson,
Rhogi, Ricardo and Romero, for the comments in the early stages of
the work.
\item Ana and Juliane, who were always available to help me with the
bureaucratic issues.
\item CNPq, for the financial support.
\end{itemize}

